Positive identification of the two young men killed in a single-car crash near Kiltimagh, Co Mayo, at the weekend was made from dental records at Mayo General Hospital at about midday yesterday, more than 24 hours after the horrific impact.
The remains of Seamus Walsh, (25), from Goulboy, Kiltimagh, and Roy Dodgson (23), from Rathcluain village, Kiltimagh, were badly charred due to the fact that their UK-registered car burst into flames after colliding with a wall and overturning.
Mr Walsh would have celebrated his 26th birthday today.
The victims had been travelling towards Kiltimagh from the village of Bohola, about five miles away, shortly after 5am on Saturday when the impact, described as "horrific" by gardaí, took place on the outskirts of Kiltimagh.
According to Garda Insp Michael Murray, the blue Toyota MR2 collided with the garden wall of a bungalow, then struck a clay embankment, skidded across the road and overturned before finally coming to a halt when it collided with a second wall.
Local people, alerted by loud bangs, were powerless to help as the car was ablaze by the time they arrived at the scene.
Insp Murray has appealed for witnesses to the crash and to anyone who might have seen the two young men in the car on Friday night or Saturday morning in the Kiltimagh, Bohola, Swinford area to contact Swinford Garda station on 09492-51115.
The registration number of the vehicle involved in the crash was H464 JRJ.
The damage to the car and to the walls indicated that the car was travelling at a very high speed at the time of the impact.
Insp Murray, who is head of the Mayo Traffic Division, described the incident as " highly disturbing and shocking" given the efforts locally and nationally which were being put into reducing the death toll on the roads.
The parish priest of Kiltimagh, Father Patrick Kilcoyne, who led prayers for the two young men and their families at local Masses yesterday, said that the town had been devastated by the tragedy.
Father Kilcoyne visited the two bereaved families to offer his condolences.
Brian Mooney, the chairman of IRD Kiltimagh, also extended his sympathy to the grieving families yesterday. "There is a black cloud over the town. Everybody I meet has some story about the two boys. There is a feeling of disbelief. It is a terrible blow to the area," he said.
Seamus Walsh is survived by his parents, David and Mary, and by a brother and a sister.
Roy Dodgson moved to the Kiltimagh area with his family from Britain recently. He is survived by his parents, Trevor and Cheryl, and by a brother and a sister.
Post-mortem examinations were completed in Mayo General Hospital yesterday before the bodies were released to the families for burial.